GRi Sports Ghana 31 - 07 - 2001
GFA names members of various boards
League preview - Disgruntled Olympics can surprise Hearts
Soccer-Ghana to re-build for African Nations Cup finals
WOSPAG urged to develop a five-year plan for sports
Accra (Greater Accra) 31 July 2001
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has named chairmen and members of various sub-committees prior to the swearing in of the Management Board on Thursday at its Secretariat.
A release signed by Mr Ampim-Darko, Deputy-General Secretary of the Association, said the occasion would also see the swearing into office of the various sub-committees under the GFA.
The release named Sylvester Mensah as chairman of the Professional League Board with Mr Abra Appiah as the Vice-Chairman. The other members are Mr Fred Pappoe, Mr Derek Saki and Mr Felix Abayateye.
The Appeals Committee Board has Mr Isaac Aboagye as Chairman, Mr Nsiah Akuettey, Vice-Chairman, Mr Richard Akpokavie, Mr I.B. Asun and four members of the Executive Council.
The statement said the Referees Appointment Committee would be chaired by Mr Kenneth Johnfia, Mr A. P. Agbovi is the Vice-Chairman, Lieutenant Colonel D.S.K. Amengor (rtd), Mr J. E. Turkson, Mr R. A. Quarshie as members.
For the Legal Committee, Mr Joe Ghartey would be the Chairman with Mr Jojo Acquah as Vice Chairman, Mr Ntow Fianko, Mr Kwesi Nyantekyi and Mr Joe
Lartey are members.
The Disciplinary Committee has Mr Edzie Essel as the Chairman, Alhaji Siedu Salifu as Vice Chairman, Mr E. Simpson, Dr Ofori Atta, Mr L. O. Laryea as members and Mr Julius Onyameama as Secretary.
The Division One League (DOL) Board has Mr Douglas Dajarbeng as Chairman, Mr Ntow Fianko as the Vice-Chairman with Mr Kwesi Nyantekyi, Nana Ntiri Dankyi and Mr Tahiru Haruna as members.
Mr Jojo Ahlidjah would be the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Mr Haruna as Vice Chairman with Mr Fred Debrah, Mr Jojo Duncan, Mr Kwame Bosompem, Mr Yaw Anaafi Boateng and a representative of the GFA Accounts Department as members.
Mr Walter Espositor would chair the Ad-hoc Sponsorship Committee with Major George Lamptey (rtd) as Vice Chairman and Mr Ben Koufie and Mr Samuel Arday as members.
The statement said the National Juvenile Committee would have Mr Yaw La
Danso as its Chairman, Mr Sam Arday as Vice Chairman with Mr Richard Quarshie,
Alhaji Maikano and Mr Boi Larbi as members.
The Player Status committee has Mr Antwi Gyamfi as Chairman and Mr Jones Abu as member.
This list supersedes all previous ones sent out by the Secretariat, the statement said.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 July 2001
Crestfallen Accra Great Olympics are in crisis and in such a situation, the last team a club would like to play around such times would be their local-rivals, Accra Hearts of Oak who are yet lose a match this season.
The wonder club are in un-chartered territory this season and have lost six matches on the trot and are bottom of the sixteen-team Star Premier League having only amassed seven points out of a possible 33 after 11 games.
Playing against a resurgent Hearts who are gradually recovering their form that brought them honours on the local and continental scene last year, would be the headache of the new management board headed by Mr Richard Oblitei Solomon, who are under a lot of pressure from fans to deliver.
No matter how gloomy the situation might be, one should remember that under every dark cloud there is a silver lining as a good performance against Hearts would provide the much-needed tonic to catapult them from the position that they are in now.
The question on the lips of all those who will trek to the stadium tomorrow is ... can the Dade boys perform this task, against a Phobian side whom they beat last year in a last minute drive to ensure their survival the Premiership.
Even though some claimed that Hearts played it soft for Olympics in that vital match, the Dade faithfuls argue that their victory over the Phobians was by dint of hard work. Thankfully under comeback coach J.E. Sarpong the rainbows hardly won a game against the blue and white shirted boys.
Another question again would be “who are the men Olympics would use for action”? Hearts have almost all their players with the inclusion of equally good recruitment to select from. The same can however not be said of Olympics who have had to build a new squad from the scratch with a lot inexperienced players after the out-going administration decided to sell all their experienced player before leaving office.
Watching Olympics play, one would straight away realise that the spirit behind the team has dampened because they play all the good football but at the end proceedings concede defeat with goal scoring their main bane. So if this problem is resolved, then expect another miracle from Olympics.
Runaway league leaders Kumasi Asanti Kotoko would trek to Brekum to play
Arsenals in a tricky duel that the Fabulous boys would have to win to maintain their five points lead on the table.
At the Kumasi Sports Stadium, King Faisal would play host to Tema Ghapoha while Dawu Youngsters welcomes in-form Obuasi Goldfields at the Dawu Park.
Adansiman, having climbed from the bottom of the table would come face to face with Okwawu United at the Obuasi Len Clay stadium with Suhum Maxbees sorting things out against RTU at Koforidua.
At Sekondi, Hasaacas look certain to grab all the three points as they host struggling Kwaebibirem whiles Liberty trek to Sunyani to play as guest of Bofoakwa.
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Port-Harcourt (Nigeria) 31 July 2001
Ghana's coach Fred Osam-Duodu is planning to re-build his side for next year's African Nations Cup tournament.
Ghana were beaten 3-0 by Nigeria in their final World Cup qualifier on Sunday, a result which secured their West African rivals a place in next year's World Cup finals.
Ghana finished fourth in Group B with three wins from eight matches, languishing behind Sudan, Liberia and Nigeria.
"We certainly have to re-build and that's what I'm going to do," Osam-Duodu told Reuters on Monday.
"We have to show commitment, unity and a sense of purpose in trying to take Ghanaian football to its previous greater heights, especially in African football. And the Nations Cup is the best platform for us to do this."
The African Nations Cup, held every two years, takes place next year in Mali between January 19 and February 10.
Ghana, who have won the Nations Cup a record four times, are among the 16 countries that have qualified.
Osam-Duodu, a member of the Ghana team that won the Nations Cup in Accra in 1978, said: "Our defeat by Nigeria showed how ordinary we were. They had all their best players for Sunday's World Cup match but we couldn't get any of ours."
Despite reaching the final of World Youth Cup tournaments in 1993 and 2001, Ghana have never made a World Cup finals appearance.
Joe Aggrey, Ghana's deputy sports minister, said he agreed with Osam-Duodu's plan to re-build.
"Our soccer fortunes at senior level have plunged in the past decade and we have to do something about it," he said.
Aggrey acknowledged that frequent changes of national coach had hampered Ghana's progress.
Osam-Duodu, who has been in and out of the job, returned to the post following the recent sacking of Cecil Attuquayefio. He took over from Italian Guisseppe Dossena.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 July 2001
Women Sports Association of Ghana (WOSPAG) has been urged to develop a five-year strategic plan to unearth talents for positive women's participation in sports as well as their empowerment into leadership roles in sports administration.
Addressing a two-day WOSPAG seminar on the theme "Developing Leadership
Skills Among Women, the role of Ghanaian women in sports" in Accra on Monday,
Mr Joe Aggrey, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, said when such a policy is put in place the country would stand to benefit more from its women.
Mr Aggrey said women participation in sport on the whole is on the increase world-wide from when there were no women representation at the start of the modern Olympics in 1896 to 44 percent participation in the recent Olympics held in Sydney.
"I have the firm believe that if all involved in sports throw their weight behind WOSPAG to function as it should, it will bring a lot of benefits to the administration of sports in this country".
He added that his ministry would soon put measures in place to ensure that women are put into positions where their effective participation would be guaranteed to motivate women to have confidence in the system in order to encourage more girls into sports.
He thanked the French embassy, the sponsors of the seminar, for showing concern for the improvement of the profile of women and girls' participation in sports in the country.
In a speech read on her behalf, Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister of Women Affairs, said over the years many myths, based on female morphology which claims women are unsuitable for certain sports, have been swept aside by scientist and since then women have excelled in sport without damaging their femininity.
"Women are veritable human resource of every country and when their potentials are harnessed, empowered and given equal opportunity, can make positive contributions and hasten the process of national development, growth and prosperity.
"I see WOSPAG as an organ in sports administration to ensure equal opportunities and increase participation of women in sports whilst ensuring the implementation of equal and fair play in the country's sports administration"
Mrs Asmah said her office would act as the central catalyst to support and mainstream their issues as well as empower them in their endeavours.
She urged participants who would be the agents of change at the grassroots to take the workshop very serious so as to gain enough confidence to implement the change every one is yearning for on the local scene.
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